Plan and execute Deepgram SDK upgrades and model migrations. Use when upgrading SDK versions (v3->v4->v5), migrating models (Nova-2 to Nova-3), or planning API version transitions. Trigger: "upgrade deepgram", "deepgram migration", "update deepgram SDK", "deepgram version upgrade", "nova-3 migration".
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!npm list @deepgram/sdk 2>/dev/null | grep deepgram || echo 'SDK not installed'
Guide for Deepgram SDK version upgrades (v3 -> v4 -> v5) and model migrations (Nova-2 -> Nova-3). Includes breaking change maps, side-by-side API comparison, A/B testing scripts, automated validation, and rollback procedures.
| Version | Client Init | STT API | Live API | TTS API | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v3.x | createClient(key) | listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl() | listen.live() | speak.request() | Stable |
| v4.x | createClient(key) | listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl() | listen.live() | speak.request() | Stable |
| v5.x | new DeepgramClient({apiKey}) | listen.v1.media.transcribeUrl() | listen.v1.connect() | speak.v1.audio.generate() | Beta |
# Check installed version
npm list @deepgram/sdk
# Check latest available
npm view @deepgram/sdk versions --json | tail -5// ============= CLIENT CREATION =============
// v3/v4:
import { createClient } from '@deepgram/sdk';
const dg = createClient(process.env.DEEPGRAM_API_KEY!);
// v5:
import { DeepgramClient } from '@deepgram/sdk';
const dg = new DeepgramClient({ apiKey: process.env.DEEPGRAM_API_KEY });
// ============= PRE-RECORDED STT =============
// v3/v4:
const { result, error } = await dg.listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl(
{ url: audioUrl },
{ model: 'nova-3', smart_format: true }
);
// v5:
const response = await dg.listen.v1.media.transcribeUrl(
{ url: audioUrl },
{ model: 'nova-3', smart_format: true }
);
// v5 throws on error instead of returning { error }
// ============= FILE TRANSCRIPTION =============
// v3/v4:
const { result, error } = await dg.listen.prerecorded.transcribeFile(
buffer,
{ model: 'nova-3', mimetype: 'audio/wav' }
);
// v5:
const response = await dg.listen.v1.media.transcribeFile(
createReadStream('audio.wav'),
{ model: 'nova-3' }
);
// ============= LIVE STREAMING =============
// v3/v4:
const connection = dg.listen.live({ model: 'nova-3', encoding: 'linear16' });
connection.on(LiveTranscriptionEvents.Transcript, (data) => { ... });
// v5:
const connection = await dg.listen.v1.connect({ model: 'nova-3', encoding: 'linear16' });
// Note: v5 connect() is async
// ============= TEXT-TO-SPEECH =============
// v3/v4:
const response = await dg.speak.request(
{ text: 'Hello world' },
{ model: 'aura-2-thalia-en' }
);
const stream = await response.getStream();
// v5:
const response = await dg.speak.v1.audio.generate(
{ text: 'Hello world' },
{ model: 'aura-2-thalia-en' }
);
// ============= ERROR HANDLING =============
// v3/v4: Destructured { result, error }
const { result, error } = await dg.listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl(src, opts);
if (error) handleError(error);
// v5: try/catch (throws on error)
try {
const result = await dg.listen.v1.media.transcribeUrl(src, opts);
} catch (err) {
handleError(err);
}// Nova-3 is a drop-in replacement — same API, better accuracy
// Just change the model parameter:
// Before:
{ model: 'nova-2' }
// After:
{ model: 'nova-3' }
// Nova-3 improvements over Nova-2:
// - Higher accuracy across all languages
// - Better handling of accents and dialects
// - Improved punctuation and formatting
// - Same pricing tier
// - Same API parametersasync function compareModels(audioUrl: string) {
const client = createClient(process.env.DEEPGRAM_API_KEY!);
const [nova2, nova3] = await Promise.all([
client.listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl(
{ url: audioUrl },
{ model: 'nova-2', smart_format: true }
),
client.listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl(
{ url: audioUrl },
{ model: 'nova-3', smart_format: true }
),
]);
const t2 = nova2.result.results.channels[0].alternatives[0];
const t3 = nova3.result.results.channels[0].alternatives[0];
console.log('=== Nova-2 ===');
console.log(`Confidence: ${t2.confidence}`);
console.log(`Words: ${t2.words?.length}`);
console.log(`Transcript: ${t2.transcript.substring(0, 200)}...`);
console.log('\n=== Nova-3 ===');
console.log(`Confidence: ${t3.confidence}`);
console.log(`Words: ${t3.words?.length}`);
console.log(`Transcript: ${t3.transcript.substring(0, 200)}...`);
// Simple word-level similarity
const words2 = new Set(t2.transcript.toLowerCase().split(/\s+/));
const words3 = new Set(t3.transcript.toLowerCase().split(/\s+/));
const intersection = new Set([...words2].filter(w => words3.has(w)));
const union = new Set([...words2, ...words3]);
const similarity = intersection.size / union.size;
console.log(`\nSimilarity: ${(similarity * 100).toFixed(1)}%`);
console.log(`Nova-3 confidence delta: ${((t3.confidence - t2.confidence) * 100).toFixed(2)}%`);
}import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
import { createClient } from '@deepgram/sdk';
const SAMPLE_URL = 'https://static.deepgram.com/examples/Bueller-Life-moves-702702706.wav';
describe('Deepgram Migration Validation', () => {
const client = createClient(process.env.DEEPGRAM_API_KEY!);
it('API key is valid', async () => {
const { error } = await client.manage.getProjects();
expect(error).toBeNull();
});
it('Pre-recorded transcription works', async () => {
const { result, error } = await client.listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl(
{ url: SAMPLE_URL }, { model: 'nova-3', smart_format: true }
);
expect(error).toBeNull();
expect(result.results.channels[0].alternatives[0].transcript).toBeTruthy();
expect(result.results.channels[0].alternatives[0].confidence).toBeGreaterThan(0.8);
}, 30000);
it('Diarization returns speaker labels', async () => {
const { result } = await client.listen.prerecorded.transcribeUrl(
{ url: SAMPLE_URL }, { model: 'nova-3', diarize: true, utterances: true }
);
const words = result.results.channels[0].alternatives[0].words;
expect(words?.[0]).toHaveProperty('speaker');
}, 30000);
it('TTS generates audio', async () => {
const response = await client.speak.request(
{ text: 'Migration test successful.' },
{ model: 'aura-2-thalia-en' }
);
const stream = await response.getStream();
expect(stream).toBeTruthy();
}, 15000);
});# If issues are found after upgrade:
# 1. Revert SDK version
npm install @deepgram/sdk@3.x.x # Pin to previous working version
# 2. Revert model in config
# Change nova-3 back to nova-2 in environment/config
# 3. Run validation
npx vitest run tests/deepgram-validation.test.ts
# 4. Verify in production
curl -s -X POST 'https://api.deepgram.com/v1/listen?model=nova-2' \
-H "Authorization: Token $DEEPGRAM_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url":"https://static.deepgram.com/examples/Bueller-Life-moves-702702706.wav"}'| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
createClient is not a function | v5 installed | Use new DeepgramClient() |
listen.prerecorded is undefined | v5 namespace change | Use listen.v1.media |
| Quality regression after model change | Edge case in Nova-3 | A/B test, report to Deepgram, rollback |
speak.request is undefined | v5 namespace change | Use speak.v1.audio.generate |
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